Zen Buddhism is one of the world’s oldest religions still in mainstream existence today. While more common in Asian countries, a fair number of Americans have adopted the practices of this faith and have started to live their lives accordingly.

Known for its marked acceptance of present events, Zen Buddhism draws enthusiasts for its focused release of judgmental thoughts and self-conscious behaviors. Its theories and principals have transformed it from what was once another deistic faith into a stress-relief practice and technique for relaxation. Many modern meditation exercises are rooted in Zen Buddhism, and this historic religion continues to work its way into New Age ideals, as others still explore the roots of its legacy.

What Does a Zen Buddhist Believe? A Zen Buddhist is one who has studied the Eastern religion extensively and has come to the conclusion that all beings have a Buddha nature within them – the nature of inherent wisdom and virtue. These realizations are reached through daily meditation and reflection upon everyday activities and experiences.

A person who is practicing Zen Buddhism will tell you that committing to this time of solitude on a regular basis leads to a new perspective and viewpoint on existence, which, in turn, leads to ultimate enlightenment in due time.

While other genres of Buddhism are more traditional in their history, Zen does not rely on any specific religious texts or concrete educational evidence. They believe such study will deter from inner searching, and that an introspective attitude will win out over the worldly influence of documents and opinions. Despite this lack of a firm basis, Zen Buddhism continues to hold strong in its rank of influential world religions, and its specific school of thought is often drawn upon for other purposes within modern society.

Zen Buddhism HistoryBuddhism and Zen have an impressively elaborate history together, much of which is rooted in mythology from early Chinese and Japanese dynasties. The suggested beginning of Zen Buddhism comes from what is known as the Flower Sermon, which dates back to the 14th century. In the sermon, it is explained that Guatama Buddha got together with his disciplines one day and, in complete silence, held up a flower. As the disciples tried to interpret what this meant, one of them stared at the flower and allegedly gained a special perspective on the world directly out of Buddha’s own mind. This insight, or enlightenment, became known as having the “Dharma eye.” It was representative of itself outside of traditional Buddhist scriptures, and continues to be a moment in Zen Buddhism still recounted today.

From this disciple, Mahakasyapa, other students of Zen came to acquire the same enlightenment, including Bodhidharma, an Indian monk. Many scholars and researchers have reported Bodhidharma actually never existed as a human being, but is rather the conglomeration of several figures throughout Zen history.

Early Zen history is difficult to follow, as there is no existence of complete documentation. However, we do know Zen Buddhism came to China via Taoism, as this was another Eastern religion already adopting common Buddhist practices such as meditation.

The merging of these two faiths led to various schools of thought, with the last patriarch being Huineng, who lived until the year 713.

The Southern school taught that enlightenment is a sudden experience, while the Northern school argued that such a state of being is a gradual process. The Southern school eventually won out, but surviving records of this turn of events are all written by Southern scholars, so the history is still speculation at best.

Understanding Buddhism and Zen Outside of the basic Buddha nature theory, there are five schools, otherwise known as the Five Houses of Zen. These houses include Guiyang, Linji, Caodong, Yunmen and Fayan. All are named after an influential master from the early years of Zen Buddhism.

Most world religions focus on some reasonable level of morality; however, Zen Buddhism is deeply seeded in this concept. The three core trainings of Zen are concentration, wisdom and virtue. All are focused on avoiding rash decision making, instead allowing one to fully embrace a variety of perspectives and make peaceful actions. The focus has always been on achieving “awakening” rather than following specific rules or regiments. For this reason, daily training is essential to Zen living, and those who falter at this are expected to never reach enlightenment due to their lack of commitment and discipline.

Today, Zen Buddhism is prevalent in China, Japan, Vietnam and Korea. Each region contains different schools of thought, but almost all subscribe to the traditional Zen practices of meditation, chant and learning extensively from well-revered Zen teachers.

Zen Buddhism meditation is also staking its claim in the West as being a positive way to recharge and refocus.

Zen Buddhism Meditation in the WestThe continual cultural melting pot of the United States has cleared the way for Zen Buddhism meditation, as well as other ancient remnants of this religion, to become part of our American tapestry. Even though the basis and origin of Zen is shaky and folkloric, there is still a strong demand for this sort of culture and set of beliefs. However, unlike the stringent practices found in Asia, many American Zen Buddhists have adopted a more casual approach to the path of enlightenment.

The very first Buddhists to officially live in the United States were the Chinese hired to work on the various railroads. Almost simultaneously, Japanese immigrants arrived to work on plantations and farms. At the turn of the century, the Buddhist Missions of North America were established.

It wasn’t until the late 1950s that Zen Buddhism became a trend, when a Japanese Zen scholar came to San Francisco. Just as it had in Asia, centuries before, the arrival of a Zen master inspired and guided others toward the ancient religion. However, in the throes of the beatnik era, this new Western brand of Buddha merged with the up-and-coming New Age ideals, leading to a whole new way of thinking and a different perspective on true enlightenment.

This “New Age” Zen Buddhism is so modern in contrast to the traditionalist monks that many Eastern Zen masters would hardly recognize it. The commercialization of Zen through New Age bookstores and popular Hollywood films continues to influence this new idea of Buddhist faith.

Mostly, modern-day American “Zen” has borrowed and modified ancient traditions, allowing plenty of room for free thought and development. Meditation and the mental journey toward enlightenment remain the same; however, the method of getting there is progressively different. The Foundation for the Preservation of the Mahayana Tradition has formed to help promote a more traditional face of Zen in the West; however it has met plenty of challenges as modern Buddhists enjoy the “pick and choose” style of Western religion. With fewer restrictions and more freedom to focus on the ideals of love and acceptance all around, New Agers continue to embrace the basic concepts of Zen, while completely altering what it originally stood for. Overall, however, the vision and purpose is the same – find peace and understanding wherever you can.

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